On August 10, 2003, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko made history not for his space travel, but for being the first person to get married in space. This was 22 years ago today. Ekaterina Dmitriev, Malenchenko’s American lover, was on Earth in Houston, Texas, while he was on the International Space Station (ISS).
A satellite link connected the ISS with NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which made the one-of-a-kind ceremony feasible. Colonel Malenchenko of the Russian Air Force wore a bow tie over his formal space suit for the event. At the same time, Dmitriev wore a traditional ivory wedding attire and was flanked by roughly 200 family and friends at the Johnson Space Center.
Dmitriev stood next to a life-size cardboard cutout of Malenchenko during the event. Malenchenko’s best man, fellow astronaut Edward Lu, played the wedding march on a keyboard from space while she walked down the aisle to a David Bowie song. The pair said their vows over video chat, and Dmitriev even blew a kiss to her new spouse, who did the same.
The pair had planned a traditional wedding on Earth, but Malenchenko’s stay aboard the space station was extended, which messed up their plans. The prolongation was necessary since all Space Shuttle flights were put on hold after the terrible Columbia incident in February 2003. Because of this unexpected event, they had to come up with a fresh and unusual manner to show their love.
The wedding was a celebration of love over a long distance, but it wasn’t without problems and disagreements. At first, Russia’s space officials tried to get Malenchenko to put off the wedding because they were worried about legal issues and military rules that said he needed permission to marry a foreign citizen. They did let the ceremony go on, but they made it clear subsequently that no other cosmonauts would be able to get married while on a space flight.
The couple had been in a long-distance relationship even before Malenchenko’s flight. They ultimately got back together on Earth a few months later, when the cosmonaut came back in October 2003. Their historic wedding is still a one-of-a-kind and unforgettable event in the annals of both space travel and marriage.